For the third consecutive year, Commissioners vote to elect Chair Mara Madrigal-Weiss, and Vice Chair Mayra E Alvarez.
SACRAMENTO – Commissioners unanimously voted to elect current Chair Mara Madrigal-Weiss and Vice Chair Mayra E Alvarez, to an unprecedented third term in office, making them the longest serving Latina Chair and Vice Chair in the 20-year history of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission.
Both Commissioners were reelected to their respective offices during a regularly scheduled November 16, 2023, hybrid teleconference meeting in Sacramento. Their new terms begin January 2024 and will be effective for one year.
Chair Madrigal-Weiss, who is from San Diego, is the first Latina Chair of the Commission. She has served as the designee of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction on the Commission since 2017. Her first term as Chair began in 2021 and she was subsequently reelected to the position of Commission Chair in November 2022, where she has served for the last year.
Madrigal-Weiss is also the Chair of the Prevention and Early Intervention Subcommittee, Vice Chair of the Workplace Mental Health Committee, and previously served as Commission Vice Chair after her election in 2019. She is the Executive Director of Student Wellness and School Culture, Student Services and Programs Division, San Diego County Office of Education.
Vice Chair Alvarez, who is from San Diego, has served as the designee of the Attorney General on the Commission since 2017. Her first term as Vice Chair began in 2021 and again was reelected to the position of Commission Vice Chair in November 2022, where she has served for the last year.
Alvarez also serves as Chair of the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Committee and Vice Chair of the Prevention and Early Intervention Subcommittee. She is President of The Children’s Partnership, a nonprofit children’s advocacy organization working to advance child health equity. She also serves on the Covered California Board of Directors, appointed by Governor Newsom.
MHSOAC Chair Mara Madrigal-Weiss (left) and Vice Chair Mayra E Alvarez were recently elected to a third term in office.
About the Commission
In enacting Proposition 63, the Mental Health Services Act, California voters in 2004 created and charged the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission with the responsibility of driving transformational change in public and private mental health systems to achieve the vision that everyone who needs mental health care has access to and receives effective and culturally competent care. The Commission was designed to empower community partners, with members representing consumers and their families, service providers, law enforcement, educators, and employers. The Commission puts consumers and families at the center of decision-making. The Commission promotes community collaboration, cultural competency, and integrated service delivery. The Commission is committed to wellness and recovery, using its authorities, resources, and passion to reduce the negative outcomes of mental illness and promote the mental health and wellbeing of all Californians.